Automobile, plane and motorized boat racing are sports which have enjoyed increasing popularity in modern times. As speeds increase so does the danger of accidents and the harm which might be visited upon the participants. In land and air vehicle racing a most feared danger is being trapped or otherwise incapacitated in the vehicle with toxic or otherwise non-breathable fumes fouling the air and causing asphyxiation. In motorized boat racing a most feared danger is being trapped or otherwise incapacitated underwater without a breathable air source.
The use of breathing devices in a non-breathable atmosphere is well known. Breathable air sources are commonly used in high altitude aircraft and generally involve complex systems which dispense oxygenated atmosphere from a bulky container mounted within the aircraft. In high speed auto and boat racing it is becoming more common for participants to use a similar complex system wherein a breathable atmosphere is dispensed to the participants from a bulky container mounted in the auto or boat. Portable but bulky breathing apparatus is commonly used in underwater diving and in fouled atmosphere conditions wherein the diver or worker has mounted to his back a bulky container of breathable air with a breathing mechanism which supplies air to the participant upon demand.
Such apparatus and systems however, generally demand that the user be in conscious control of his faculties and require a continuous tether to a compressed air container. In many emergency situations there is sudden, unexpected detachment from the tether and the user is immersed in an non-breathable atmosphere where he may be trapped or so stricken as to be unable to reattach to his breathable air life-line.
In order to guard against such unexpected situations, personal emergency breathable air containers have been proposed, which comprise a small compressed breathable air container generally conveniently carried by the user which can provide an emergency supply of breathable air. Such units are mounted and/or carried separate from the durable breathable air supply system and require the user to manually remove the container from it's mount, activate an appropriate valve system, remove parts of the durable system and manually regulate the personal breathable air supply to survive.
Unfortunately, such personal air containers and systems require at least some conscious participation by the user or other person, a requirement which may not be feasible in a sudden emergency situation where the user is restrained by being trapped or otherwise disoriented, unconscious or so stricken as to be unable to think or act appropriately.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a breathable air system which is convenient for use in durable operation.
It is another object of the invention to provide a breathable air system which can be easily disengaged from durable operation.
It is further object of the invention to provide a breathable air system which in an emergency situation will provide emergency breathable air sufficient for timely rescue from a non-breathable environment.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a release apparatus for disengaging a breathable air system from the user.
These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.